Created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Justiniano, he first appeared in Countdown to Mystery #1 (November 2007) as the seventh character to use the Doctor Fate codename.

His depression later results in a malpractice suit when Nelson failed to properly treat a client, who displayed concerning behaviors even during their sessions and later killed several people in a vehicular homicide.

He is helped personally by Inza Fox, a comic book artist whom coincidentally shares the name of his aunt and is later abducted by Negal.

[5] In the final issue, the series presented several endings based on Steve Gerber's notes: The Reign in Hell storyline and comic title features Kent V. alongside other notable magic users (Zatanna, Ibis the Invincible, Enchantress, etc.)

getting involved in a civil war in hell as Zaurel calls for an alliance and intervention due to the potential cosmic ramifications it poses.

An inexperienced sorcerer, Nelson is unaware of how to escape from hell and battles Blaze, who lambasts him for his limited skills but is defeated when she mistakenly how to focus his power.

With the assistance of Doctor Occult and Nightshade, Kent and the group ultimately manage to escape Hell, despite interruptions from Lobo and the sacrifice of Sargon the Sorcerer.

[12] Later, Kent would help the Justice Society when they were targeted by various villains trained specifically to fight their members, using the reputation of Doctor Fate's power in order to grant them an advantage.

[11] A past version of the younger Kent also suffered the consequences of the time-traveling Degaton, who was empowered by a Lord of Chaos and sought to replace the Justice Society of America with his own, leading to the death of Doctor Fate in various timelines.

[15] While regarded as a novice in earlier appearances with little skill, he is later recognized as among the most formidable practitioners in the DC Universe, carrying the title of Sorcerer Supreme.

[5] His otherworldly abilities are centered around the usage of enchanted objects to safeguard from inherent risks of magic, classifying him as a "sorcerer".